Defense is A’s biggest potential shortcoming

Updated 9:42 pm, Monday, March 20, 2017

Jed Lowrie shields his eyes from the Arizona sun. He is realistic about Oakland’s defense: “There might not be a lot of players on the highlights, but we’ll make the routine plays.”

Jed Lowrie shields his eyes from the Arizona sun. He is realistic about Oakland’s defense: “There might not be a lot of players on the highlights, but we’ll make the routine plays.”

Photo: Darron Cummings, Associated Press

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Oakland Athletics second baseman Jed Lowrie catches Houston Astros' George Springer trying to steal second base during the first inning on Friday, April 29, 2016 in Oakland, Calif.

Oakland Athletics second baseman Jed Lowrie catches Houston Astros' George Springer trying to steal second base during the first inning on Friday, April 29, 2016 in Oakland, Calif.

Photo: Beck Diefenbach, Special To The Chronicle

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Oakland Athletics first baseman Yonder Alonso tosses to first base for the out against Baltimore Orioles' Chris Davis during the seventh inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar) less

Oakland Athletics first baseman Yonder Alonso tosses to first base for the out against Baltimore Orioles' Chris Davis during the seventh inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. ... more

Photo: Tony Avelar, Associated Press

Defense is A’s biggest potential shortcoming

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MESA, Ariz. — There are a lot of things to like about the A’s this year: the young starting pitchers, the solid bullpen and the good young infielders expected to arrive at some point this season.

“We’re hoping it’s improved,” vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane said. “We made some moves coming into the season but I’m not going to sit here and say we’re a great defensive team, based on history. But we know that. Getting Trevor, I think will help.

“Look, I think it’s improved, but we could get better.”

Though some scouts this spring said they believe that Oakland might be better than last year, when the team had the second-highest error total in the league, most agree that the A’s will be challenged defensively.

“They could be one of the worst defensive teams again,” one longtime American League scout said. “They’re going to have to score a lot of runs and their pitchers are going to have to work their butts off to win games.”

Oakland might not wow anyone in the field, but it will get the job done, according to second baseman Jed Lowrie.

“It’s a nice group,” Lowrie said of the infielders. “There might not be a lot of players on the highlights, but we’ll make the routine plays.”

Infield coach Chip Hale, back with the A’s after two years as Arizona’s manager, says he likes what he has seen of the defense.

‘Trevor makes a big difference. Healy being able to go back and forth from first to third is a plus,” Hale said. “Yonder is one of the better first basemen in the league, and one of the biggest improvements I’ve seen is Jed, with the surgeries he’s had.”

Lowrie gets more than his fair share of criticism as a defensive player, largely centering around his range, but after foot surgery and a procedure to repair a deviated septum, Hale said he is moving better at second and able to work out harder.

“The last couple of years, I almost had to pace myself,” Lowrie said. “Now, I can take groundballs at a different intensity. It feels good.”

Marcus Semien has turned himself into a much better shortstop with help from coaches Mike Gallego and, the last year and a half, Ron Washington, even showing the drills to minor-leaguers and new players such as Plouffe.

The outfield is a question mark. The A’s had considered making Mark Canha the backup center fielder, but Canha, coming off hip surgery and missing almost an entire season, hasn’t played particularly well in the field this spring. That makes Alejandro De Aza or Jaff Decker likely to be added as a fifth outfielder.

Many scouts see left fielder Khris Davis as better suited to be a designated hitter, but Ryon Healy will be mainly in the DH role unless the A’s trade Alonso. Center fielder Rajai Davis is better defensively than he was in his first stint (2008-10) with the A’s, his speed making up for the occasional poor route, and right fielder Matt Joyce, who will platoon with Canha, doesn’t have a ton of range.

“We have recognized that our strength from an outfield standpoint is to just catch the balls we’re supposed to, throw the ball where we’re supposed to,” outfield coach Mike Aldrete said. “Don’t give extra bases to the runner. We’re probably not going to make any miraculous catches or miraculous throws.

“But sometimes guys who can do amazing things make mistakes, too. You have to take what you’ve got and make as good an outfield corps as we can.”

One potential plus when it comes to defense: The A’s pitching staff, particularly the starters and almost-everyday reliever Ryan Dull, are quite good in the field. And for the A’s, every little bit will help.

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